Prison Phone Justice

Communication is a human right. With this as a guiding principle, GJ helped win a national campaign to lower the costs of phone calls to and from prisons. There are so many families in New Mexico who are suffering in silence and maybe do not realize they have a right to stay connected with their loved ones, while large billion dollar corporations profit from their situations.

As part of the campaign, GJ youth leader Jazlin Mendoza, whose father had been incarcerated out of state for a majority of her life, traveled to Washington, D.C., to share her story. Jazlin spoke to FCC Commissioners and Congressional leaders. Shortly after the trip, the FCC voted to lower the rates of calls to and from prisons nationwide. In her statement, FCC commissioner Mignon Clyburn referenced Jazlin’s story.